Description

After twenty years together and nine studio albums, one might think moe. had pretty much done it all. Yet the famously independent-minded jam band is reaching for new ground on its latest project, What Happened To The LA LAs.

What Happened To The LA LAs features 10 tracks of compact melodies, each textured by moe.’s signature rock riffs and flourishes, and backed by a roller coaster ride of pulsing drums. It’s that pure moe. sound which the band’s ardent fans -- affectionately dubbed moe.rons -- have come to love over the band’s decades of industrious touring.

Most of the material on What Happened To The LA LAs has been road-tested at moe.’s rollicking concerts. “Bones of Lazarus” has been part of the moe. repertoire for more than 10 years, says Rob Derhak, though it went through a major transformation in the studio. Chuck Garvey’s “Suck A Lemon” was written for moe.’s fan-inspired psychedelic Halloween show.“Downward Facing Dog” is a newer moe. song, written by Al Schnier. It came together rather organically when Schnier realized what had been several different songs actually flowed together into one composition. Lyrically, the song addresses a time when Schnier was dealing with his father’s poor health.

“I had a lot of big issues on my mind,” Schnier recalls. “Being a dad, and being in this situation with my own dad, just makes you look at the big picture. I wanted the song to be something where I could express a passion for life and have it be something that people could relate to.”

Partnering with Sugar Hill enables moe. to work with a label which shares their distinct approach. Explains Garvey, “Everything we do has a very independent spirit to it, whether it’s the creation of T-shirt, a song, or an album. We have a whole team of people who have worked with us for years who are part of that process, and everyone at Sugar Hill gets that this is how we work. And we get that same sense from Sugar Hill, too. It’s an organization that’s been around for a long time and we’ve crossed paths with a lot of the bands on the label over the years. It does seem like a good fit.”